Episodes
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 45, with guest, Dr. Rana Dajani. It’s time to reimagine what success means, particularly in workplaces that were not designed with women in mind.
Dr. Rana Dijani is a molecular cell biologist professor and one of the world's leading Muslim women scientists. In addition to this, Rana is specifically interested in raising the health, education, and societal status of women and children in the Arab world. Her goal is to help shape our future world.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 45: Butterfly Wings with Dr. Rana Dajani.
Key Discussion Points:
00:58 Gender Disparities in STEM: The assumption that there are fewer women in STEM is a projection from Western data. The Arab world has a much higher percentage of women in STEM.
03:01 The Global Problem of Fewer Women in the Workplace: This is not because women are uneducated and while some workplaces may not be friendly to women, this is not the reason either.
05:10 Creating a Paradigm Shift in the Workplace: The workplace as we know it today has been created by men, for men. We need to change this.
07:51 Redefining the Measurement of Success: The measurement of success is male-centric, females and minority groups rarely fit into this measurement system.
10:09 Creating System Changes in Corporate Spaces: COVID has shown us that systems in the workplace can be changed very easily. If more women are creating policies, we have an opportunity to create something new.
In Summary: Dr. Rana Dajani challenges us to embrace diverse definitions of success that resonate with our own lives and values, rather than adhering to the traditional definitions of success, particularly in the workplace, that have been established by men.
Resources from this episode:
Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible - If We Can Reverse Cell Fate, Why Can’t We Redefine Success? by Rana Dajani
Follow Rana on Linkedin.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into how being “too emotional” can be your superpower with Rachel Radway, a certified leadership and executive coach, Mastermind facilitator, and author. Highly perceptive individuals often feel like they are crazy, broken, or the only person who feels this way. This is not true, there are so many of us out here, including many incredibly successful women.
Rachel has more than 25 years of leadership experience across tech startups, not-for-profits, and Fortune 500s. She's particularly passionate about helping women leaders who are wired a little differently create the conditions they need to thrive.
Key Discussion Points:
02:33 Exploring High Sensitivity Perception: 30% of people are affected by high sensitivity perception. This comes with its own challenges and superpowers.
08:32 Strategies for Managing Sensory Overload in Our Increasingly Connected Workspaces: While you may not be able to control your environment completely, there are ways you can create conditions for success.
13:55 The Stigma of Being Labeled as Highly Sensitive: Women face so many challenges in the workplace, the last thing they need is another label attached to them that is often associated with weakness.
17:46 Navigating Extreme Self-Expectations: Brain research has shown that the brains of highly sensitive people optimize for successful group outcomes rather than individual outcomes.
23:04 Understanding How Your Brain Works: This work can be intimidating because there are so many deep-seated social expectations of us. The first step is to get support.
29:49 The Power of the Pause: One of the biggest gifts we can give ourselves is to pause before we take action and to start listening to ourselves.
37:34 The Pressure to Be Likable: Likability and authenticity sometimes feel in dissonance with one another. There are ways you can navigate these feelings.
In Summary: If you think you are highly perceptive and you are struggling, Rachel Radway urges you to give yourself grace, reach out for support, listen to your body, and take care of yourself.
Resources from this episode:
Perceptive by Rachel Radway (coming summer 2025)
Follow Rachel on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Missing episodes?
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 40, with guest, Niyati Tamaskar. Your health is in your hands. It is your responsibility to do your own research and advocate for your health.
Niyati is an engineer and an advocate for women in technology and engineering. At 34, she was diagnosed with cancer while she was breastfeeding her second child. Through her TED talk and books, Niyati sheds light on the cultural bias and regional stigma associated with cancer.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 40: #BreaktheBias of a cancer diagnosis as a woman of color with Niyati Tamaskar.
Key Discussion Points:
00:59 Niyati’s Cancer Diagnosis: Niyati’s diagnosis was unfortunately accompanied by a lack of emotional intelligence and empathy.
08:33 Taking Control of Your Diagnosis: A diagnosis may feel unfair, you may struggle with self-blame, and wonder what you did wrong. Ultimately, you have to find the strength to take control of your diagnosis.
11:04 The Role of Research and Advocacy: You are the person who is in charge of your own health. You have to advocate for your best interests.
14:19 Having the Courage to Ask Questions: Asking questions and communicating with your doctor is only going to help you and your condition. You don’t have to take the first opinion you receive.
In Summary: Niyati Tamaskar challenges us to take ownership of our health. No matter what your diagnosis may be, it is your responsibility to do your research, ask questions, and make sure you feel comfortable with your healthcare provider so that you get the best care possible.
Resources from this episode:
Unafraid: A survivor's quest for human connection by Niyati Tamaskar
Unabashed: Self-Advocacy and the Quest to Foster Empathy by Niyati Tamaskar
Cultural bias and stigma associated with cancer | Niyati Tamaskar | TEDxBloomington
Follow Niyati on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we hear from Amal Masri diving into how women of color can thrive in the workplace in spite of the broken rung—the very first step on the career ladder, that promotion from entry-level to manager.
Amal is the visionary force behind Fix the Broken Rung which is on a mission to get one million women of color promoted. Learn more about the mental calculus that women of color need to do to merely exist across intersections, the systemic barriers women of color face in climbing the corporate ladder, and some actionable strategies for overcoming these barriers.
Amal has over 15 years of experience in financial services and a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion. She launched Fix the Broken Rung to address the barriers women of color and immigrants face in advancing to leadership roles. Her initiative is empowering women to break through these obstacles. She's trained over 750 leaders across 10 industries and her expertise is widely published and sought after
Key Discussion Points:
02:50 The Broken Rung: The lack of women in leadership roles is less about the glass ceiling and more because of the broken rung - the very first step on the career ladder in the promotion from entry-level to manager.
04:23 Challenges Women of Color Face as They Gain Power: As women rise on the career ladder, they face higher levels of scrutiny, microaggressions, and social exclusion. Awareness is the first step to addressing this problem.
12:13 Finding Your Agency as a Woman of Color: You always have some degree of agency in any situation and there have never been as many resources and opportunities available for women of color as there are now.
16:36 The Truth About Breaking Barriers: When you break barriers, there is breaking involved and you will get hurt in some way. It is critical to calculate the ROI of the wall you’re breaking through.
20:38 Making Strategic Career Advancements: If you don’t have much influence in your organization, you are unlikely to be successful in making change. Your energy may be better spent focusing on yourself until you reach a greater position of power.
32:54 Understanding Your Value: In a misogynistic and racist system, accurately seeing your value will feel like audacity.
39:16 Writing Your Own Narrative: If you don’t take the time and initiative to write your narrative to position it for your own success, someone else will do it for you and it will not be in your favor.
In Summary: Amal Masri challenges us to take agency for our own journey and be audacious in how much value we place on ourselves. She urges us to get strategic in the workplace and determine what is worth fighting for.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Amal on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 48, with guest, Katherine Byam. Company culture is just another form of bias and this episode explores how deeply bias is rooted in our workplaces.
Katherine is a sustainability activist, a sought-after leadership and career transition coach, and a consultant for business resilience and sustainable change. She is the best-selling author of Do What Matters - the purpose-driven career transition guide.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 48: Do What Matters with Katherine Byam.
Key Discussion Points:
00:52 The Key to a Successful Pivot: Curiosity, letting go of perfectionism, and surrounding yourself with a good team are what allow Katherine to pivot so seamlessly
02:14 Bias in the Workplace: A company’s culture can be a blueprint for bias and this can emerge throughout all levels of an organization starting at the hiring process.
03:39 The Origin of Bias: Every single person experiences bias in some way. This stems from how you have processed experiences in your past. It is also linked to privilege.
06:31 The Expectations of Women in the Workplace: There is a dichotomy that women face whereby if they are assertive they are told they need to be more vulnerable and if they are vulnerable they are told they need to be less emotional.
07:41 Intentional Vulnerability: Katherine shares that for her, intentional vulnerability means first understanding and processing what you have been through and the impact it has had on you before sharing it.
In Summary: Katherine Byam challenges us to move beyond bias, embrace neurodiversity in the workplace, and recognize the value of diverse strengths. She encourages us to lead with curiosity and intentional vulnerability.
Resources from this episode:
Do What Matters: The Purpose Driven Career Transition Guide by Katherine Ann Byam
Follow Katherine on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we’re taking a look back at one of our favorite episodes. Join us as we delve into the importance of self-reflection and understanding diverse perspectives to refine and better workplace dynamics. To do that, we invited Mita Mallik, a renowned corporate leader and best-selling author, her book 'Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace' is discussed as well as a powerful tool for anyone, particularly those in the HR and DEI space.
Mita shares her personal experiences and insights on overcoming microaggressions, advocating for diverse talent, creating a balance between risk and responsibility when taking a stand, and maintaining personal identity and happiness separate from work.
Key Discussion Points:
05:02 Intent Versus Impact: How leaders and teams can build more cultural intelligence and minimize workplace prejudice
10:00 "Speak Up" Isn't Enough: Questions and reflections to consider if we want to be inclusive leaders
13:27 Asserting Yourself as "An Only:" How can you ensure that regardless of people's intentions (good or bad) your voice gets heard when you're in the room?
21:57 The Concept of Family in The Workplace: How this sometimes well-meaning corporate mindset can do more harm than good – and what we can do about it.
30:49 Assessing Performance And Hiring Diverse Talent: Looking at facts instead of feelings and owning our responsibility as diverse leaders in the corporate space.
41:53 Finding Balance in DEI: How we can spend our resources and efforts more intentionally to get the best results and protect our boundaries.
In Summary: Mita Mallick challenges leaders – especially diverse leaders in corporate spaces – to create and foster an environment of inclusivity and understanding. One in which everyone's voice can be heard and valued, independently of their gender, ethnicity, background, or personality.
Resources from this episode:
Mita’s Book: Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace
Follow Mita on Linkedin and Instagram.
Check out Brown Table Talk at browntabletalkpodcast.com
Olivia’s book recommendation: Mind Your Mindset
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita and Olivia on Linkedin.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 38, with guest, Linda Crockett. Workplace harassment is all too common. This episode is exploring how you can better stand up for yourself.
Linda is known for pioneering the first and only full-service workplace bullying and harassment resource center in Canada. She has a master's degree specializing in workplace bullying and trauma and is a certified trauma therapist and social worker with 33 years of experience.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 38: Choose to Challenge Workplace Harassment and Bullying.
Key Discussion Points:
00:59 The Nuances of Workplace Bullying: It’s easy to miss the signs and nuances of workplace bullying because they have been normalized.
02:22 Trust Your Gut and Document Bullying: If you feel something is not right, it probably isn’t. It’s important to document these instances.
04:51 Why People Don’t Speak Up About Harassment: There are many valid reasons why people will not speak up about workplace harassment.
07:39 Prioritizing Recovery: You may have to choose recovery whether you have justice or not. Don’t wait for justice to start healing.
In Summary: Linda Crockett urges us to trust our gut and document any signs of workplace bullying. Reach out to a professional if you feel overwhelmed and don’t wait for justice to begin recovering.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Linda on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into navigating career pivots and mastering the art of selling yourself with Adelle Thompson, a career change expert and self-described self-doubt stopper. Discover how you can use your superpower to get what you want and why you need to get comfortable talking about money.
Adelle is a certified life coach with over 12 years of experience in leadership and management. She is also the owner of AT Enrich, where she helps women gain the confidence and tools needed to build a career that they love and that pays them “stupidly well”.
Key Discussion Points:
01:24 Adelle’s Career Pivot: Adelle shares her journey from teaching to recruitment.
06:31 Moving Forward Despite Others Opinions: Many people will have opinions about your transition, but the only one that matters is your own.
15:09 The Catalyst for Change: All change starts with yourself, your vision, and knowing what you want.
24:19 Positioning Yourself for Success: Know what you are good at and use those skills to help you land a job or promotion or negotiate a salary.
33:31 Patterns That Hold Women Back: Women doubt themselves and disqualify themselves before even trying.
In Summary: Adelle Thompson reminds us that selling and negotiating are two skill sets we already have. She challenges us to make the pivot, get comfortable with silence in negotiations, and only listen to the opinions of people who are backing us.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Adelle on Linkedin and Instagram or check out her website and podcast.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 35, with guest, Mecca Moore Tartt. If you haven’t started building your network, the time to start is now.
Mecca has led a successful career in medical device sales along with leading two Georgia-based nonprofits as executive director. Her love of empowering women and creating safe spaces for them to come together has led her to create events for women focused on health and wellness, relationships, and motherhood.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 35: Choosing to Challenge that women can have it all.
Key Discussion Points:
00:54 Turning Empathy into Action: Any big change starts with small steps and connecting with the people you are trying to help.
02:21 Reflection Before Action: Take time for reflection and seek inner clarity before making any big decisions.
04:32 The Power of Network: It doesn’t matter how good your services or products are, without a network, you will never reach your full potential.
06:33 Networking Authentically: Don’t wait until you need something to start networking, start now and join networking events that you are passionate about.
In Summary: Mecca Moore Tartt challenges us to start building our network as soon and as authentically as possible. She urges us to choose topics we are passionate about and start networking in those areas to make real connections.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Mecca on Linkedin or check out her website
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into owning your authenticity and making fearless decisions with Kezia Israel, a transformative verbal identity strategist and a celebrated LinkedIn Top Voice in copywriting. Discover why action in the face of fear is an integral component in reaching your goals.
Kezia is the founder of the Verbal Identity Studio, Kizkopop, where she specializes in solving brand messaging and communication challenges for FinTech companies that are passionate about their mission. Her expertise has empowered over 100 brands to craft authentic stories through structured narratives, helping them outshine their competitors.
Key Discussion Points:
02:43 Embracing a Growth Mindset: A growth mindset will help you break down barriers, overcome imposter syndrome, and unlock unlimited potential.
08:39 Overcoming Fear: It’s okay to be fearful, but it’s important to know what you want and continue to move and act in the face of fear.
14:15 Making Your Voice Heard on Social Media: Create content that resonates with you rather than focusing on what others will like, metrics, and the algorithm.
16:23 Navigating Corporate Life as an “Only”: As an “only” in a corporate setting, it can be easy to show up in a way that is not authentic to yourself to fit in with the people around you.
25:50 Navigating Transitions: When you make a big transition, you may feel like you are losing aspects of yourself. Rather, focus on how to reposition these aspects to work for your new venture.
30:02 Clarifying Your Goals: Having clarity, making decisions with confidence, and going after what you want is the only way to move forward.
In Summary: Kezia Israel challenges us to define what we want and go after it even if we feel fear and imposter syndrome. She urges us to show up authentically even in spaces where we may want to hide.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Kezia on Linkedin and Instagram or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 46, with guest, Meghana Rao Pahlajani. There is enough space at the table for all of us and as you grow professionally, it is your responsibility to be a voice for others.
Meghana is a passionate climate change, clean energy, and sustainability professional. Her work has spanned a decade globally, from the US and across India. She's helped drive corporate strategy, advised on policy change, and led new market development across the public, private, and civil society sectors.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 46: Limitless Leadership - Consciously Driving Change.
Key Discussion Points:
02:10 Corporate Culture: In the workplace, there are struggles that women face that men do not.
03:13 Having a Voice at the Table: Find a way to be at the table by getting involved. If your voice is still not being heard, it’s time to escalate things.
04:04 Making Space or Others at the Table: As you grow in your career, your voice tends to be heard more. You have a responsibility to help other's voices be heard.
06:08 Ageism in the Workplace: Being curious about the changes out there and open to letting yourself evolve will help you understand the needs of your organization.
07:28 The Learning Mindset: Taking the time to learn a new skill or knowledge will help empower you in the workplace.
In Summary: Meghana Rao Pahlajani challenges us to make our voices heard at the table and to help the voices of those who come after us to be heard as well. She urges us to embrace a learning mindset to empower ourselves with knowledge.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Meghana on Linkedin or Instagram.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into unleashing the full potential of the people you lead with Minette Norman, author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and The Psychological Safety Playbook. Discover how you are holding yourself back from seizing opportunities, how to take control of your fear, and how to build resilience to stressful situations.
Minette is an award-winning author, speaker, and leadership consultant who previously spent decades leading global technical teams in the Silicon Valley software industry. Minette knows that when groups embrace diversity in all its forms, breakthroughs emerge and innovation escalates.
Key Discussion Points:
01:48 The Insider’s Club: As an “only” it can be hard to find your way into the inner circle where opportunities and visibility are abundant.
08:22 Having the Courage to Seize Opportunities: We are preemptively holding ourselves back from opportunities because of stories we have told ourselves that are not true.
14:01 Overcoming Fear and Shifting the Culture Around Failure: If you want to do something new and innovative and disrupt the norm, there will be failure.
21:45 The Intersection of DEI and Innovation: Diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams ONLY if they are in a culture of inclusion and psychological safety.
25:27 Building Resilience in Stressful Situations: Our body's natural response during stressful moments is fight, flight, or freeze. We need to become aware of how we are reacting as individuals.
32:10 Being Bold: Do not hold back your brilliance from the world but at the same time acknowledge that everyone is learning and is a work in progress.
37:43 Measuring Psychological Safety: There is no use in measuring psychological safety if you are not going to make the behavioral changes afterward.
In Summary: Minette Norman challenges us to create psychologically safe workplaces to help the people we lead reach their full potential. She urges us to embrace failure if we want real innovation.
Resources from this episode:
The Boldly Inclusive Leader by Minetter Norman
The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human by Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman
Follow Minette on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into speaking up in the workplace with Animah Kosai, a passionate advocate for ethical leadership, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Discover the systemic changes needed to allow people to speak up freely in the workplace, how to recognize toxic behaviors within yourself, and the need to simply listen.
Animah has over two decades of experience in the oil and gas industry as an in-house counsel and brings a wealth of practical knowledge to her current role as the founder of Speak Up at Work. Originally from Malaysia, Animah’s global perspective informs her approach to addressing workplace issues across diverse cultural contexts.
Key Discussion Points:
03:01 Speaking Up in the Workplace: There needs to be systemic and cultural changes in the workplace to allow people to feel safe to speak up about misconduct, harassment, and other issues.
08:41 Creating Community: When reporting toxic behavior, people not only need solutions and action, but they need emotional support.
12:47 Self-awareness in the Workplace: Leaders need to be able to recognize toxic behavior in the workplace, especially when they are the ones perpetuating that behavior.
19:47 Disrupting the System: Disrupting the system of oppression in the workplace takes more than just one or two individuals.
28:03 Workplace Marginalization: There is no space for individuals to share their pain in the workplace.
34:01 Decentering Yourself: As leaders, we can create spaces to listen. However, we need to recognize that in the process of listening, we may feel uncomfortable.
In Summary: Animah Kosai challenges us to find communities for psychological safety so we can start to speak up in the workplace. She urges leaders to learn to listen and to create spaces where people feel comfortable to share.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Animah on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into disrupting the status quo with Cindy Gallop, a trailblazing entrepreneur, brand innovator, and advocate for social change. Discover why identifying your core values and beliefs is key to living a much simpler and happier life. We’re also exploring Cindy’s most ambitious project yet, a sex education academy.
Cindy has been described as a woman who will change the way you think about sex and money. She’s the alchemist turning advertising lead into gold and the voice shouting ‘show me the money’ to a VC world that seems to have misplaced its checkbook when it comes to female founders.
Key Discussion Points:
02:44 Walking in Your Authenticity: Being your authentic self is how you are going to attract the network or village you will need along this journey.
05:22 Identifying Your Values: By identifying your values and beliefs, your life will be so much easier. This applies to both individuals and businesses.
11:37 Overcoming Fear by Taking Action: Micro-actions are a way to change behavior from the bottom up.
15:00 Getting Out of Toxic Situations: If you are in situations filled with micro-aggressions, do not stick it out. It is time to pivot.
21:17 Becoming a Role Model: You have a responsibility to become the role model you never had in order to create meaningful change.
30:02 Reinventing Industry Through the Female Lens: If you start your own business, you can design a culture that you want and that others want to work in.
35:37 Make Love Not Porn: Discover Cindy’s groundbreaking social sextech platform and her most ambitious project yet, an academy of sex education.
In Summary: Cindy Gallop challenges us to be our authentic selves so that our village can find us. She urges us to leave toxic situations, pivot, and start our own businesses to create cultures that other people would love to work in.
Resources from this episode:Invest in Make Love Not Porn
Follow Cindy on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 44, with guest, Brandi Richard Thompson. Failure is a given in life and Brandi shares how she recovers from it by ignoring the noise, focusing on herself, and prioritizing her happiness.
From a college dropout to a transformational growth strategist, Brandi is the founder of the Operation Growth Institute, a Global Transformational Learning Center where people can accept, heal, grow, and transform into the next iteration of their personal and professional best.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 44: Start where you are with Coach Brandi Thompson.
Key Discussion Points:
00:58 Recovering from Failure: To recover from failure, take the time to disconnect from others and focus on yourself.
05:21 Ignoring the ‘Noise’: When you’ve fallen off your path, no one can help you but yourself.
07:39 Prioritizing Your Happiness: If you can’t find the time to pursue your passions, you are prioritizing other people’s happiness over your own.
10:18 Finding Yourself Through Meditation: Spending quiet time alone is how you can unpack things in your life and learn how they have shaped you.
In Summary: Brandi Richard Thompson challenges us to not let ourselves be defined by failure, rather if you fail, take the time to look inwards and reevaluate your life and what you can do with what you have.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Brandi on Linkedin or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 36, with guest, Jessica Doyle-Mekkes. She shares how she empowers women to identify their strengths, speak up, and use their voices effectively to turn their dreams into reality.
Jessica is a professor, researcher, vocal coach, and internationally published writer & speaker in the field of female empowerment & advocacy. She is currently the Head of Musical Theatre at East Carolina University.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 36: Choose to Challenge with your voice.
Key Discussion Points:
00:58 Identifying Your Strengths: As women, we get into the habit of always needing to work on something but rarely do we stop and acknowledge what we are good at.
03:20 Speaking Up: There is a risk that comes with speaking up. As women, if we challenge the status quo it’s easy to be labeled as ‘difficult’.
07:40 Making Your Dreams a Reality: For Jessica, self-respect is having the courage, confidence, and know-how to speak up and put your dreams out into the world.
08:45 Finding Your Voice: Don’t approach public speaking from a place of fear, rather put in the time and effort to create the muscle memory and mindset needed.
In Summary: Jessica Doyle-Mekkes challenges us to identify our strengths and respect ourselves enough to make our dreams a reality. She urges us to put the time into practicing public speaking so that we can use our voices effectively.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Jessica on Linkedin or Instagram or check out her website.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 31, with guest, Jeanine McIntosh Menze. She shares her process of managing fear and how she chooses to not give her fear power but rather place her power in what’s on the other side of that fear.
Jeanine was awarded her ‘Wings of Gold’ on June 24, 2005 and became the first Black female aviator in the 215-year history of the United States Coast Guard.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 31: Challenging aviation as the first black female aviator in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Key Discussion Points:
00:56 Managing Fear: You can give your fear power or you can put your power in what is on the other side of your fear.
03:04 Inspiring the Next Generation: By showing up, you are showing the next generation of women what is possible for them.
06:37 Learning From Your Mistakes: Don’t fixate on your mistakes, learn from them and keep up the momentum.
09:33 Just Do It: Give power to your accomplishments and goals rather than giving it to your fear and missing out on success.
In Summary: Jeanine McIntosh Menze challenges us to see our mistakes as a part of growth and a stepping stone in the learning process. She urges us to stop letting fear hold us back and rather see it as an opportunity.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Jeanine on Linkedin.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 6, where we were lucky enough to have Archita’s mother, Vijaya Sivakumar, as a guest. She shares her experience of working for 40 years at a company in India as the only female among 70 men — all while raising two daughters.
This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 6: A Special Episode - Giving Thanks.
Key Discussion Points:
01:09 Being the Only Woman in the Room: Archita shares how her mother has influenced her feelings toward being the only woman in the room.
02:43 Embracing Differences in the Workplace: Share to grow - share your knowledge with your colleagues so that you can both grow.
04:22 Choice Versus Sacrifice: It’s not about focusing on the sacrifices made, it’s about fulfilling the commitments to the choices you have made.
07:46 Asking For Help: It is possible to have both a career and children if you lean into opportunities and don’t hesitate to ask for help.
In Summary: Vijaya Sivakumar challenges us to change our perspective on choice versus sacrifice. By using the word choice, you take the power back into your hands versus letting the circumstance have sway over you.
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into a theme that has cropped up in some of our recent episodes. Specifically, what Mary Waweru said in Episode 67 about transitions. It’s so easy to let yourself get pulled down by transitions that are seemingly outside of your control. But it’s time to take control of your fear and become the driver in your life and in your career.
Key Discussion Points:
01:45 You Are the Driver of Your Life: There are so many people going through times of transition right now. Do not let yourself get paralyzed by fear and get stuck in the transition.
07:14 Developing Resilience: We are so afraid of rejection that we may hold ourselves back from opportunities. To counter this we need to develop a resiliency mindset.
14:40 Turn Your Lessons Into Growth: You can complain about your situation as much as you want, but that’s not going to help you grow. What are you going to do about it?
17:39 The Obsession with Being Perfect: We need to unlearn the employee mindset that we were taught at school and home growing up and let go of this obsession we have with being perfect.
24:55 Your Brain Can Be Your Best Friend: We have wired our brains to not want to feel pain, but that is not the mission. The mission is to live the life you want to live which may involve emotional pain, so we need to rewire our brains.
In Summary: Archita and Olivia encourage us to take control of our situation and be the driver of our lives. They highlight that it’s time to stop being afraid of failure and rejection and go after what we want.
Connect with your hosts:Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
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Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we’re taking a look back at one of our favorite episodes. Join us as we delve into some leadership lessons with former fighter pilot turned keynote speaker and best-selling author, Kim "KC" Campbell. Discover how you can build trust within your team and lead with courage in times of uncertainty and adversity.
Kim served in the United States Air Force for 24 years as a fighter pilot and a senior military leader. In 2003, Kim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. As a senior military leader, Kim has led hundreds of airmen both at home and abroad in deployed locations, enabling them to succeed in their missions.
She takes this experience and inspires so many more in corporate spaces to lead with that passion for leadership. She feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their teams.
Key Discussion Points:
02:59 Do It Scared: Fear is not a negative thing. It is a normal reaction to a stressful circumstance. It’s what you do in the face of fear that matters.
10:21 Preparing for Change: Trust doesn’t happen overnight. As we are facing so many uncertainties right now, it is important to build trust within your team early.
17:48 Building Trust: As a new leader, you can build trust through active listening, seeking input, and showing vulnerability.
22:59 Wingman Culture: We do not succeed on our own, we succeed by working together as a team. Does everyone on your team understand the role that they play and how that role is critical for shared success?
26:36 Setting Yourself Up for Success as a Leader: The leadership role can be lonely. It’s important to have some sort of support, whether that is a mentor, coach, or a trusted member of your team.
30:51 Navigating Failing Forward as an ‘Only’: Everyone makes mistakes, what matters is how you respond to the mistakes you have made. What is your mistake mindset?
40:10 Leading With Courage: If you want to thrive in whatever environment you are in, it comes down to leading with courage and persevering through hard times.
In Summary: Kim "KC" Campbell challenges us to lead with courage, to deliver imperfect action, and to go on and thrive in every single space we occupy. She urges us, as leaders, to create teams built on trust.
Resources from this episode:
Follow Kim on Linkedin or check out her website.
Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot's Lessons on Leading with Courage by Kim Campbell
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
_________
Produced by Ideablossoms
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